Lost Magic and Renowned Love
by Hikaru5
Summary: Another S+S fic. They are set up in HK. Cory butts in and takes the Sakura's cardcaptoring stuff. Shaoran tries to save Sakura's life. Finally! My last chapter is in! This is the end, come read it! The story is complete! Thanks, reviewers!
1. Blackmail on Sakura

Summer's here! Sakura breathed in heavily. She stopped by a curve in the   
sidewalk. Panting, she spun around.   
  
"Hmm. That's strange. I could have sworn someone was following me." She   
stared at an alleyway. She was about to move in to investigate, when Tomoyo drove   
by her in a long, black limousine. Tomoyo's rich, doncha know.  
  
"Hey! Wanna go to the ice cream parlor? On me!" Tomoyo waited anxiously for an   
answer.   
  
"Sure." Sakura turned for one last look. Nothing happened. She entered the car.   
She was unaware of the hand gesture that Tomoyo waved to the darkened alley.  
  
  
"Whew. Close one." Meilin appeared from out of the shadows in the alley.   
Clutching an envelope close, Meilin dashed towards Sakura's house. Looking about   
nervously, she slipped the envelope into the mailbox.   
  
"You, Shaoran, just don't know how to show your true feelings to the one you   
most desperately love. This'll help you." Meilin grinned inwardly and ran off to catch   
her plane back to Hong Kong with Shaoran.  
  
  
"Good-bye! Thanks for the ice-cream!" Sakura walked up the steps to her house.   
Upon entering, she noticed Touya stuffing an envelope into the trash. Once he   
spotted her, he made to block the trashcan from her view.  
  
"Oh, uh, hey there you squirt. How was your last day of school?" Touya smiled   
falsely.  
  
Sakura made a mental note to herself to check the trashcan later. "Not much.   
Gonna go change now." She could see relief flash across his face. Silently, Cero   
floated above the stairway watching Sakura as she trundled up.  
  
"What's bothering you?" Sakura jumped in surprise. "Oh, you. Well, I'm fine. Tell   
me when Touya leaves for work."  
  
Cero scratched his head. "What reason does she have for waiting 'til he's gone?   
Does she want to rummage in the kitchen with me? I'm sure she's not that hungry at   
this time..." Still scratching his head, Cero headed back towards Sakura's room.  
  
Sakura was unpacking her school supplies when she heard Cero whoop. "Yeah!   
He's gone! Time for that delicious sandwich I saw him hide in the cupboard."  
  
The girl, with amazing speed, beat him to the kitchen. She reached into the   
trashcan and pulled out a crumpled envelope. Cero looked over her shoulder.  
  
To Miss Sakura Avalon... From Li Shaoran! With crumbs bulging out of his stuffed   
mouth, Cero exclaimed, "Why, he has the nerve!"  
  
Sakura brushed his crumbs from her envelope. "Don't disturb me please. I'm going   
to read this."  
  
"No problem! This package of chips will last me awhile..."  
  
Sakura made her way back up to her room. She felt strangely excited to read what   
Shaoran might have written. Sitting down on her bed, she tore open the envelope.   
The first thing that caught her eyes was an airplane ticket to Hong Kong. Puzzled,   
Sakura looked to the letter. It said:  
  
Cardcaptor Mistress,  
Have you ever been to visit my home country? I wish you would come spend the   
summer with me here in Hong Kong. I would gladly show you around. Besides, Meilin   
is not fun company. She will meet you at the airport, though. See you soon.  
Shaoran  
  
Sakura readily agreed to the idea of visiting Shaoran in Hong Kong. What fun!  
  
  
"You think Sakura's going to promise him?" Meilin asked Tomoyo on the phone.   
Meilin was back in Hong Kong.   
  
"Don't know. Perhaps. But without her here, I'll have a boring summer."  
  
"You can come along. Besides, then we can spy on then together. I mean, you had   
the money to afford her plane ticket."  
  
"That's right! But I'll probably have to come later. Oh, I'm going to see how   
Sakura's doing now. Call you back soon."  
  
Meilin leaned back and smiled. This would be an exciting summer. She never   
thought she'd be a matchmaker, but she was definitely going to enjoy it.  
  
* Hi, all you anime fans. Hopefully someone reads this. If I get at least 10 reviews, I'll   
write more. Domo-arigato!! ????????????????????????????   
  
  



	2. Blackmail on Li

*From now on, Sakura's last name will be "Kinotmoto". I used her American last   
name in the previous chapter. Sorry! ^^;  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After arriving home to Hong Kong, Li spent most of his time stuck in his room. He   
kept his nose in the school yearbook, studying Sakura's face. Meanwhile, Meilin and   
Tomoyo had cooked up another scheme. Once again, Meilin carried a fake letter to   
Li's door.   
  
"Hey! You in there! You have a letter!!" Meilin kept hammering at the door. When   
Li didn't answer, she stuffed the letter under is doorway.   
  
Annoyed, Li ignored the envelope at his door. He didn't even look at it.   
  
"It's from Miss Sakura Kinomoto!" Meilin sang tauntingly. She could hear him   
scrambling to the door. He banged his knee in the process. "Yeoooowwwwwww!!!"  
She thought to herself, "My cousin…"  
  
Then, Meilin rubbed her hands together while grinning evilly in anime style.   
"Oh yes."  
  
  
Sakura nibbled nervously on her sushi. She needed the permission for her Hong   
Kong trip.  
  
"Are you okay honey? You've hardly eaten anything." Her dad peered at her over   
his glasses. Touya, with a piece of seaweed dangling from his mouth, made a silly   
face at her.  
  
"Well," Sakura drew up her courage. "Can I go to Hong Kong this summer? There's   
a friend there who can let me stay…"  
  
Tuoya swallowed his mouthful and burst, "That—that TWERP, um, what's his   
name, Shellon? No, Sh—whatever. Dad, you're not going to let her go, are you?   
Believe me…"  
  
"Now, now Touya. Calm your hot head." Dad stared sternly at him.  
  
"It's not Shaoran. Meilin's inviting me. He just helped her write the letter."   
Sakura bit her lip. She hadn't wanted to lie.  
  
"Well. I don't think I can afford it even if you could go." Dad said thoughtfully.   
Touya sniggered at Sakura.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that. I've got a plane ticket already. I leave tomorrow   
afternoon."   
  
"Then it's settled." Touya's jaw dropped. "Finish up your dinner and go pack, young   
lady." Sakura joyfully stuffed her face with dinner. I say, she looked quite like Cero.  
  
"Mai I bai efcuzed?" Sakura managed through her mouthful. Dad gave her a prim   
nod. She rushed up the stairs, leaving behind a scowling Touya and a smiling dad.  
  
She met Cero half-way up. He stopped her and cried indignantly, "You aren't going   
to Hong Kong without me!" His eyes became dreamy and his mouth started to water.  
"AHH, the delicious dishes there. MMM. Oh yummy, yummy, yummy! Dim sum…"  
  
Sakura pushed by him and dashed into her room. Throwing a suitcase onto the   
bed, she started to hurriedly toss clothing into it. Cero floated in, still in a trance.  
He muttered, "Give me some of those hot, buttery scones."  
  
  
Li tore open the envelope as fast as his trembling fingers allowed. It read:  
  
Li, this summer, I have decided to come to Hong Kong. Meilin has invited me to   
sleep in her room. It would give me much pleasure if you would give me a tour when I   
get here. See you soon.  
Sakura  
  
He wiped sweat off his forehead as he reread it over and over again. Bearing the   
suspense no longer, he yanked open the window. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"  
  
Meilin was below, playing hopscotch. "Shut up Shaoran!" She yelled back.  
  
  
WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.  



	3. S+S Meet in H.K.

Sakura waved one last good-bye to her father and Touya. She walked on to the plane.   
Once in her seat, Cero popped his head out from her backpack.   
  
"Plane is taking off," the captain announced. She leaned back and thought about her   
destination ahead.   
  
  
After Li calmed himself, he went to get a broom. When his mom walked into the   
living room, she found Li sweeping the floor. "What's that for?" she asked gruffly. Li   
was used to it.  
  
"I, er, Meilin is expecting someone, a classmate." He finished up and put the broom   
away. He disappeared into his room again. "Must be a girl", his mother thought.  
  
  
Sakura looked out her window. She could make out the shape of Hong Kong's   
airport ahead. "Would Li be there?" she wondered. Then she slightly colored. He was   
nice although he acted so scornful and unlikable on the outside. He even looked   
concerned the last time they sealed a Card. She wished he would understand, wished that   
she could talk to him without stammering. But how can she be so sure that he felt the   
same way?  
  
"Plane is landing soon." Sakura closed her eyes and thought, "Here I go."  
  
  
Li sat uncomfortably in his seat. Meilin had said that she was not feeling well, so he   
had come to the airport alone. He shuffled his feet in nervous waiting. The plane landed   
and he saw her jump out of the plane. He got up and went to greet her.  
  
"Hi Shaoran!" she cried cheerfully. Li blushed furiously and couldn't say a word.   
Sakura stared at him for a moment, then looked away, turning red as well.  
  
"I'm sorry," Li said once he got his voice back. "Welcome to Hong Kong." They   
both stood there awkwardly for a while. Li picked up her suitcase and walked towards   
the bus stop. Sakura followed, feeling stupid that she made Li feel so bad.  
  
A large group of tourists ran their way. By instinct, Li grabbed her hand and pulled   
her out of the fray. Sakura was taken aback by their rude behavior. "It's always like this   
here." Li explained. They panted and as if suddenly realizing it, they jerked their hands   
apart.   
  
"Let's walk home instead." Li mumbled. She noticed that he had turned hot red. She   
decided to make him feel better about all this. "Hong Kong is nice. Um, do you live far   
from here?" Li shook his head. "Not that far, but I just thought you would like to ride   
comfortably to my house." Sakura smiled to herself. So he did care.  
  
  
"Tomoyo! Get your head out of the way! I want to see!" Meilin complained. They   
watched as the pair ahead walked quietly. "Hush, Meilin. I'm trying to get this on tape.   
If you want to see, I'll send you a tape later or something." They quieted when Sakura   
spoke.  
  
  
"Li, do you want me to carry my own suitcase? I mean, is it too heavy for you?" Li   
held it with only one hand. The training he got from his family had toughened him up.   
He shook his head, afraid that he would talk stupidly if he opened his mouth. The both of   
them had the same thought in their heads: What should they talk about?  
  
Just when Li was about to ask her a question, they heard Meilin scream. She pushed   
Tomoyo out of their hiding place while shrieking, "I saw a rat! Ah! Get me out of here!"  
Li held Sakura back as the two spies tumbled out.   
  
"Meilin!" cried Li. "Tomoyo!" cried Sakura. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"   
they both yelled together.   
  
The two sheepishly got to their feet. Tomoyo hid her camera. Sakura and Li looked   
from one guilty face to the other. Meilin whispered to Tomoyo, "Let's make a run for it."   
Both girls ran off giggling. Li and Sakura sighed. Then remembering each other, they   
tensed.   
  
"Come on. Let's go. You have to get settled in." They trudged to his house in   
silence.  
  
  
  
*so, how was it? Read on, but first, give a review. If you LOVED it, I thank you my   
faithful reviewers.  



	4. At Li's House

Once Li and Sakura made it into the house, it was already dark. Li's mom was   
waiting at the door. Like any gentleman, he let Sakura in first. But then, his mom was   
angry.   
  
"What took you so long coming home? Don't you know I was worried sick about   
you? What would happen to the Li clan if you suddenly disappeared?" His mom   
suddenly saw Sakura. She was uncomfortably shuffling her feet.  
  
Li was red with embarrassment. His mom got the hint and stepped back. In the   
softest tone that she could muster, she said, "Hello. You must be Sakura. I've heard a lot   
about you from Meilin. And Li." The boy indignantly threw a glare at his mom.   
  
"Nice to meet you too." Sakura said. "I like your house. It's just so nice. And   
something smells good." Li looked relieved. His mom motioned for them both to go sit   
at the table.   
  
Meilin and Tomoyo were already chowing down on some spaghetti. They gave each   
other secret winks. "Tomoyo's sleeping in my room with me. There's not enough room   
for you, Sakura. Sorry." Meilin grinned. Puzzled, Li and Sakura looked at each other.  
  
"Oh, then, you can have my room for now Sakura. I'll sleep on the couch." He got an   
approved glance from his mom. "No really," Sakura protested. "Keep your room Li."  
His mom butted in. "Now, now. Li is a gentleman. You're a guest and a lady besides."  
  
The three sat down to eat. When Li and Sakura reached for the pitcher of juice, their   
hands brushed. They jerked back again, blushing as usual. His mom, once again, saw   
what her niece and Tomoyo were getting at. She excused herself, and the two girls left   
with her.  
  
Both Sakura and Li ate in silence. "I'm sorry that I forced you out of your room."   
Sakura said apologetically. Li said, "I'm fine. You're a guest anyhow. My guest." She   
stared at him. He looked up and realized that he had said something stupid. He muttered,   
"Oops."  
  
  
In Meilin's room, the girls filled Li's mom with the plan. His mom thought that   
Sakura was very polite and that her attitude balanced Li's rude, ignorant attitude. She   
agreed to help. "Auntie," Meilin whispered. "Be sure that they don't know what we're   
doing." Meilin's aunt patted their heads.   
  
Later, Li's mom helped Sakura get settled in Li's room. Sakura admired all the   
models that Li had made. Li's mom faked a yawn and said, "Well then, see you first   
thing in the morning."  
  
Before she closed the door, Sakura caught a glimpse of Li leaning on the couch. He   
was deep in thought. "When I get the chance to talk to him…I'll say…" Sakura didn't   
know what to say. "Love is so complicated."  
  
  
Li tried not to think about the day. To himself, he thought, "Eugh, I can't believe I let   
my big mouth say the silliest thing. Yet, Sakura had put up with it all; my mom, the bus   
stop, and dinner. Everyone knows that she is gentle, peaceful, independent, and pretty. I   
wonder what she thinks of me. (snort) I'm just a stupid, crazy Chinese boy who doesn't   
even know how to control myself." Li put his hands on his head in frustration. "I am   
such an idiot."  
  
He twisted and turned, trying to go to sleep, but Sakura's face kept appearing in his   
head. Wide awake, he tried to think of something else, like what should he wear, or what   
should he make for breakfast, or where should he go tomorrow. But they all lead back to   
Sakura. What should I wear(for Sakura), what breakfast should I make(for Sakura),   
where should I go tomorrow(with Sakura). Arhh. He was so tired. He was feverish   
with his endless thoughts. Finally, at 2 in the morning, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
Sorry to spoil the mood, but please move on to the next chapter(later). I thank all   
my reviewers, especially (pay attention you two) funkycat and Sachiko. Look for   
my next chapter soon!!  



	5. Left Alone Together

"Sakura!" Li ran through the dark forest. She was standing in front of him just a moment ago. "Where are you? Come back!" he cried. Exhausted, he collapsed in a heap on the forest floor. "Sakura" he choked softly.  
  
Bring, bring. "Huh?" Li looked over at the clock. 'Oh no' he thought and rushed up off the couch. Reaching the phone, he lifted it and almost yelled, "Hello?" His mother said from the other side, "Finally, you get up. Meilin, Tomoyo and I are leaving.  
  
"What!" This time, he did yell. "Yep", she answered. "We are going to Honolulu! I'll call from time to time. Do take care of our guest."  
  
As if on cue, Sakura walked in, carrying a tray of breakfast. He blushed at his outburst. In a more gentler tone, he said, "Why are you going?" His mom smiled. "You need to spend some time doing stuff other than training. Have fun." "Wait!" (click)  
  
"Is everything okay?" Sakura asked. "Oh, uh, yes. But we won't be seeing Meilin, Tomoyo, or my mom for a while." She nodded, although puzzled. He watched her set the little coffee table.  
  
"I'm sorry, Li. I already ate. I was just so hungry." Li shook his messy head knowingly. Instead, he asked, "Did you make this by yourself?" She nodded proudly. He looked at his plate again. A sandwich had never looked so good in his life. (munch) Or tasted so good.  
  
Sakura watched him eat. She studied his hair. 'It looks good all messed up' she decided. Then his eyes. 'It's a nice amber brown' Then his whole face. 'He just looks great, no other word for him.'  
  
He heard her sigh. When he glanced at her, Sakura blushed instantly and went to get him some tea. While still savoring the sandwich, he cradled his dream.  
  
(flashback)  
  
"I love you." He said to her. Sakura was reaching for his hand...suddenly, a flash surrounded her. When Li looked up again, she was gone! "Sakura!" He ran around the dark forest. She was there a moment ago. "Where are you? Come back!" He had collapsed on the floor and called her name one last time...  
  
(end)  
  
Sakura walked in with the tea. She poured him a cup. Wanting to show her how appreciative he was for the breakfast, he immediately brought the hot cup up to drink. Quickly, she stopped him by holding his hand. "Stop!" she called desperately.  
Li, embarrassed, dropped his cup. "Sorry." Sakura was moving to pick up the shattered glass. He pulled her back. "Leave it to me." He reached a trembling hand down to pick up a piece. He cut his finger.   
  
"Oh no. You should have let me do it." Sakura reached into her little pouch and pulled out a bandage. "I'll fix that." Li carefully watched her. Her eyes shone bright and crystal green. Her fingers moved rapidly. He felt his heart wrench. She was actually holding his hand and seemed to treasure it.  
  
"There." she said later. He smiled a gentle smile that he would not give to any one else. Their eyes held. "Thank you", he murmured.   
  
  
* So, my reviewers. How's about that for some mushy mush? If you absolutely thought this was kawaii, please tell me to write more. The creation of this story is in your opinions.  



	6. The Battle Begins

Now comes the 'magical' part. But, hey, don't worry. There's still lotsa S+S.  
Oh, and whoever gave me some suggestions for the next chapter, I hope this is good enough for you!   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As Sakura was attending to Li's wound, her deck of Clow Cards in the room started wiggling. They glowed. The girl was too busy to notice that her wand, around her neck, was glowing as well. Li was too busy enjoying her concern to see the glow.  
  
"Why don't we go on a walk?" Li asked. Sakura blushed, forgetting that she was in Hong Kong, famous for its over-crowded streets. "I guess."  
  
Once out, the two met a long stream of people who were all muttering in Chinese. "Aiya, zhao hoy la. Mo dzo chu sai." "Ma, ho bik a."  
  
Sakura realized that Li just meant shopping. He said,"Are you game?" Sakura, wild at heart, nodded vigorously. He grabbed her hand and dragged her along through the crowd. They laughed out loud, cheering their hearts. When they finally stopped, Sakura clutched at her neck, pretending to be running out of air.  
  
"Oh...no." She felt around her neck again, but it was gone. Her wand was gone! Li took one long look at her pale face and thought that she was really going to die of air shortage.   
  
"What's the matter? He rushed over and grabbed her shoulders.  
  
She was looking at the ground around her. "I've lost it...lost it..." and blackness took over her mind. She fainted away into Li's arms.  
  
(out of the darkness)  
A mysterious girl walked calmly towards her. "Ha, I've gotten the better of you know, eh, Cardcaptor? Sakura looked closely at the face. The face was pale, eyes dark brown, and they were glinting mysteriously in the dim light.  
She now waved Sakura's wand and the deck of cards too.  
  
Sakura lunged, hoping to grab them back, but she seemed to be stuck on her position on the floor. "Don't try to move now. I'll kill you quick and easy. The boy I'll deal with later."  
  
The stuck girl cried, "What is your name? Why are you doing this?"  
The other replied, "Huh, my name would be no use to you. But I'll tell you what I'm after. Here begins:  
  
"Long time back, I once tried to use a new-found power to steal the cardcaptoring stuff. You kept your cards from me by using them frequently, putting up a shield around it so I couldn't pass. But I've tracked you down up to now, and hah! You've left your guard down! So I jumped at the chance and now I have the stuff. What a ninny, going on vacation when you should be training. I'm not the one to teach you though."  
  
The girl raised the wand to kill Sakura, but suddenly Sakura could feel very warm liquid come down her throat. She sputtered. The mystery girl leaped back. They both could hear a voice saying, "Sakura, I'm sorry. Please wake up, I promise not to pull you along so fast anymore, ok?"  
  
"Well, the boy has interrupted. So my name would be useful to you after all. Call me Cory, and we WILL meet again. Next time, he won't be around to help you." Cory spun, and vanished with Sakura's things.  
  
(go back into conciousness)  
  
Meanwhile, Li had hovered around, trying to think of some way to revive her. He nervously sat and twiddled his fingers. She awoke, rubbed her eyes, and trembled. Li took her by the shoulders again. "Is everything alright?" She shook her head and closed her eyes.  
  
"We need to do some serious butt-kicking..." so she related her dream/nightmare. At first Li thought she was just tired. But in the seriousness of her face, he abruptly listened attentively.   
  
When they were done, Li picked up a cup of tea nearby and held it out to her. She smiled and said, "Did you give me this in the nightmare?" He nodded, blushing slightly.   
  
"I'm sorry to make you feel worried." She frowned. Shaoran cleared his throat and started stuttering, "Well, I...I...you know, I just...I..."   
  
The scene was shattered by a groggy Cero flying in to a late breakfast. What he saw made him shake...with laughter. "Hahahahahahahaha(gasp)hahahahahahahahahaha! The impassible Shaoran, kneeling by the couch and offering tea! Ah, who would have imagined. Whoooahahahahahahahaha!!!"  
  
Shaoran glared flames. Cero sighed and muttered, "Won't even offer a hungry Guardian some breakfast." Sakura giggled helplessly.  
  
"What?" (giggle) "You do look kinda funny like that. (giggle) And thanks for the tea. You don't have to kneel anymore. (giggle)"  
  
They sat there awhile, talking about the dream. In his heart, Shaoran made an honest oath. 'I'm not gonna let some girl hurt or scare Sakura. She's the only one I've got in this world who cares for me, and I treasure her. No, I'll help her in any way. If the girl bothers Sakura again, I'll...do something about it.'  
  
For the rest of the day, Li insisted on keeping Sakura in the house. She followed his instructions. He showed her some family things and described the models in his room.   
  
(Oh yes, since Meilin and Tomoyo were gone, Sakura moved into her room.)  
  
"There, that's my favorite." "Why?" "Well, because I made it when I was young and it was so hard for me to do." "oh."   
  
Night fell, and Sakura and Shaoran bid each other good-night. He asked her worriedly, "Will Cory visit you again? I think I should check on you at night."  
  
She yawned and said, "If you think. Well, good-night." Patting his shoulder in a friendly way, she headed back to the room.  
  
"Good-night." He walked back into his own room and lay down. Soon he fell asleep. That night, Cory wrecked havoc again.  
  
(in the dream)  
  
Cory was just as Sakura described. He realized that his sword was on the floor nearby. Li carefully picked it up, without taking his eyes off the figure. Indeed, the wand and Cards belonging to his Cardcaptor partner lay in the hands of the plunderer.  
  
"Why don't you just give the stuff back?" Li swung his sword menacingly. Cory shrugged. "I guess I've waited to long to let them go back to your love."  
  
Li snarled, bristling at the fact that she was having fun tormenting them. He prepared himself to defend and protect 'his love'. Inspecting the Cards closely, he discovered that the Sakura cards were changed to Cory cards.  
  
"How'd you do that?" Cory read his mind. She looked at the Cards and spoke, "Magic. How else?"  
  
"Why you little brat!" She wagged her finger, and said maliciously, "Watch what you say around me now." Pulling the Big Card from the deck, Cory released it and grew big. He glared defiantly at her. "So what?"  
  
She reached down and plucked him up. He struggled uselessly. Raising the wand high, grinning as villainously as ever, Cory opened her mouth to shout his death. "Ta-ta, nitbrain. Don't you worry about the cherry blossom. Let's just say she'll join you shortly, shall we?"  
  
"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Until the next chapter, folks! Read on! ^-^ Review for more.   



	7. Shaoran's Bargain

Cero sprang out, transformed, roaring. He launched himself at Cory's face. A large blast of fire flew out of his mouth into her face. She dropped Shaoran, rubbing furiously at her eyes.   
  
"Ah!" He zipped through the air. Cero caught him on his back. Shaoran sighed in relief. "Thanks." The beast snorted. Cory yelled once again, "You and the girl aren't going to make it next time."  
  
Shaoran's eyelids opened. Sakura's face loomed overhead. They both jerked back in fright, blushing brightly. "You were yelling, and I thought you were in trouble..."  
  
Blushing hard, Shaoran exuberantly told her his dream/nightmare. She paled when she heard that he almost got killed if not for Cero. When they were done, they went in search of Cero. The little guardian was stuffing his face in the kitchens, as usual.  
  
Sakura grabbed him and hugged him. "AHHHHH!" Cero cried. "Help, oh please, help!" The two behind him laughed at his silliness. Once the beast realized who they were, he tried to regain his dignity.  
  
"I'm going to bed! Hmph! You two better not keep going around squeezing me to death." Cero fluttered away.  
  
Feeling hungry, Shaoran made noodles for them both. As they ate, Sakura got dizzy. She put down her chopsticks and went to sit at the couch. Shaoran went with her and asked softly, "How are you feeling? Do you want some water?"  
  
She closed her eyes and lightly shook her head. He gently felt her forehead. It was fine. Sakura was tired, she was soon going to sleep, but Shaoran jolted her awake. "Don't sleep!", he warned. "Cory's going to get you while you're there. Don't!"  
  
Sakura raised her head slowly. His face was radiating with concern. She answered softly, "You're right, of course. But I feel so tired..."  
  
Shaoran suddenly heard a laugh. Cory's voice came out from nowhere. "Hah! I'm draining her power. You can't stop her from coming to my world soon."  
  
He sat on the couch, cradling Sakura's head. She wanted to go to sleep so badly, but Shaoran kept her awake with his voice.   
  
Determined not to let Sakura get taken away by Cory, Shaoran struck a bargain with her. "You, Cory, if I let her sleep, don't take her. I will fight for her. Deal?"  
  
Amused, Cory spoke. "Sure. You meet me in my world. How do you get there?  
Simple. Just go to sleep. On one condition: tell that fire-beast not to come barging in again."  
  
Shaoran gritted his teeth and replied, "Deal!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sakura struggled to stay in reality, to obey Shaoran's instructrutions. But soon she lost the battle. She lastly remembered Shaoran's gentle face and his hands stroking her face and hair before she fell into a deep sleep. In the dream, she saw herself walking over a bridge. 'It's so peaceful here. If only Shaoran was here with me.' She was unaware of what was happening somewhere close by.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shaoran put Sakura in a comfortable position on the couch. He looked at her again for reassurance that she was still there. 'Oh, I wish Cory hadn't started this stupid mess. Sakura's so peaceful, so dependant. She's safe now."  
  
He shed one tear as he closed his eyes. 'Sakura, I'm going to come back. Then, I'll tell you. You'll know my feelings. Wait for me.'  
  
Shaoran plunged into darkness. When he finally landed on ground, he scouted his surroundings. It was a park scene, way too peaceful to do battle. Was he in the right place?  
  
He summoned his sword, just in case. Putting full focus on the battle, he headed out in search of Cory.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sakura thought of Shaoran. He was such a nice guy. If only she could say something. 'But he's just my partner. He might just think of me as a partner. If I tell him, then it would sound foolish.' She was so deep in thoughts about Shaoran. She recalled all the times he protected her on Cardcaptoring times.   
"Thanks a lot, Shaoran..."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shaoran scanned the park. Cory could not be seen. He was about head in another direction to search, when the unmistakable, evil voice laughed. Whirling, he met Cory.   
  
"So, you're that crazy." Cory glanced about. "Like the view? Hmph, this is not it."  
With a wave of her hand, the scene changed to a dark, empty street. The street lights were dim. Shaoran could feel his fighting spirit rising.  
  
"Let's just get this over with. I don't care what scene it is, bring it on!" he cried. Cory shrugged. "Let's go then. See if you can defeat your own partner's power. You know it's stronger than yours."  
  
Shaoran twirled his sword, the long, hard training he had received showing in the way the sword moved flawlessly. The battle for Sakura and Shaoran's life began...   
  
  



	8. They Fight

Cory pulled out the deck of cards that used to belong to Sakura. Shaoran bristled. The girl was now shuffling through them, taking her time on to choose.  
  
"Hmmm, nah, this one's not strong enough. Well, this one's not very obedient. Ahh, here we go. Illusion!"  
  
Dozens of Cory(s) sprang out and pointed fingers at him. "You can't get the real Cory out of all these."  
  
Shaoran called on Lightning. He zapped them all, and only one of them cried out. The one in the middle.  
  
Shaoran hacked his way through to her. Her eyes were aglow with unearthly fire. All the other Cory(s) disappeared, once again leaving the two furious combatants glaring at each other.  
  
He snatched the Illusion Card. "Let's see how long you can last out with the 51 you have left. I know how to handle 'em all. I helped Sakura catch them."  
  
Cory once again looked through the deck. She picked out the Fight card. "You have taken karate, haven't you?"  
  
Shaoran warded off the attacks and tried to fight back, but it was quite like battling with a unbeatable pro.  
  
Cory sighed, a malicious glint in her eyes. "Last time, you had Meilin and Sakura to help you. I saw that myself. You can't do it alone. Can't do anything alone."  
  
Her words forced Shaoran's anger to rise even more, and he punched and kicked his all. For Sakura, for her life, for her future.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sakura sat on the park bench, thinking. She felt strangely as if she was in reality, and yet, she knew she was not there at the park. In the midst of the chirping birds, she heard vague sounds of battle.   
"I'm in a dream", she thought. "I am just imagining all this." As the moments passed, she tuned her thoughts away to Shaoran again.   
  
"I must be dreaming. It seems that I can hear Shaoran's voice in the battle."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Shaoran wiped the sweat from his head. "You have 1 more card left." His voice was hoarse and his body in pain all over. He was cut in many places, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.  
Cory waved the last card as if she were in no hurry at all. "Yes, I suppose you can last through this last one. You beat it, you win and Sakura gets her precious stuff back. It ain't gonna be that easy though. VOID!"  
He leaned on his sword for support. The Void card was the most powerful of them all. He forbid the tears of despair to shed down his scarred face.   
  
"I may lose, but I'll let you know that it wasn't because I'm weak. It's because you're making the cards do all your dirty work. If I'm going to die, so be it. But keep it in your twisted head that you are a coward not to stand up and fight."  
  
Cory took one, long, disgusted look at the boy who was about to be finished off. She took advantage of his weariness.  
  
"Those are brave words for one who's leaving so soon. To ease you a bit, I'll put in a few of my own. Void, return."  
  
Shaoran closed his eyes, and thought about the days when he and Sakura were rivals, when they were partners, and when they were just getting to become better, closer friends.   
"Sorry Sakura. Sorry I let you down. Forgive me," he cried, hoping that Sakura could hear those words. "I..."  
But the rest of his speech was lost in the sound of Cory's last and final attack. Her own dark magic that she used to steal Sakura's stuff.   
"Good bye, you stupid boy. Never will you have to be sorry about anything. Just be sorry that you ever called me a coward."  
Shaoran held his head high and watched the jet-black bolt of evil ripping through the air towards him. He gazed at it impassively.   
"I die for Sakura. It's worth it."  
  
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COMING UP!!! Don't worry, Shaoran's NOT going to die. But just wait til the next chapter. Review and I will finish it up. ^_~ See ya!   



	9. How it All Ends

'Huh?' Shaoran heard a thud as the blast collided with something other than his own body. He lifted his eyes from the ground...and a horrible sight met his gaze.  
  
Sakura lay there unmoving in front of him on a heap. Cory sighed.   
  
"Turns out I didn't have to do the extra job of killing her anymore. So-."  
  
She stopped abruptly as soon as she noticed how murderous he looked. Unnerved by the glance, she started twirling the wand. Shaoran's eyes lit up with a deathly fire; it angered him even more. He knelt slowly to Sakura's side and touched her forehead. It was still warm, but the warmth was melting away fast.  
  
His wrath built up inside him and made him shake with anger. Only one thought crossed his fierce mind: I must avenge Sakura!  
  
He stood once again and did not speak. His face was shaded, betraying nothing on his features. Cory could not help wondering what the guy was thinking.  
  
But she never opened her mouth to make the comment. Shaoran drew some unknown power of the Li clan's from his sword. He didn't even know it was there, but it seemed as if his long ago ancestor now lived and raged within him.  
  
Shaoran moved as if in a dream, unreal, hazy. He vaguely remembered himself yelling out the name of his beloved, his cherry blossom. Time stopped for a moment as the memories flashed before his eyes, memories where they were having wonderful times.  
  
His heart lurched as he charged at the enemy, the girl that had caused so much pain and horror. He remembered her terrified face as he loomed over her, like a church mouse.  
She squeaked, but it was cut short by Shaoran's quick revenge.   
  
He raised his sword one last time...and the girl was gone. Cory disappeared. The only trace of her defeat was the deck of cards and Sakura's wand. Shaoran picked them up slowly and turned to place them by Sakura's side.  
  
He sat down on the cold floor and laid her head on his lap. He stroked her hair, the hair that he always longed to touch.   
  
Shaoran knew he won the victory, but he lost the most precious thing in the world to him.  
He sighed and closed his eyes.   
  
"Shaoran, you're wetting me with your tears," Sakura moaned. Shaoran jumped and looked unbelievably at her. She wiped her face of his tears and held a hand to her shoulder.  
  
For the first time, Shaoran saw that the blast had only caught her on the shoulder. He was relieved and helped her sit up.  
  
"Why did you jump in like that? You know, you scared me." Shaoran began talking like a mother. Inside, he was dancing around like a 3 year old.  
  
Sakura managed to calm him down. She grasped his hand and whispered, "I'll tell you later. It was just sort of like a vision, from Clow Reed..."  
  
In spite of all his injuries, Shaoran lifted Sakura off the floor and carried her in his arms. With the wand and cards back in posession, they slowly went back together into conciousness. Yes, with arms around each other.  
  
  
The End  
  
Afternotes: I hope you all liked the fic. I enjoyed writing it a lot. I might even write another, if I come up with another plot or something. Please review. I know I took a long time to write, but please give me some feedback. S+S forever!! This is officially the end of my story. (whew!^_~)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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